Dracula Untold Blu-ray ReviewToday, 01:15 AMDracula Untold games its thrones on Blu-ray with an edition that presents this leaden reboot of the Dracula franchise in solid high definition, with an army... Read More

I've been looking forward to the release of this movie for quite some time now. From your review it sounds like I will not like it. If anything I'll give it a whirl to see the lovely Penelope Cruz. I'll give it a rental and see what the heck this movie is all about.

By some stroke of luck, I was able to find this DVD (of one of my top 5 films of 2001) earlier this week here in Sweden.
I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I'll do so tonight. Glad to hear how great the disc is, Ron.

Ron
You simply must see the orginal as it is compelling to watch and Penelope Cruz is a treat to watch. For me It was the performance of Cameron Diaz as the Stalker that won it for me, there were not enough scenes of Cruise & Cruz together yet there were was a breathtaking on screen chemistry. Looks like I will pick up both DVDs
Oscar Merkx

Ron, I'm suprised you consider this film bizarre. David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is bizarre but I would not classify Vanilla Sky as such. This is more of a film where you feel you need to watch it a second time after you see the end. I agree, though, that it is more in a Kubrick style type of film. And, like you said, it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But for those who like thoughtful, meaningful, even provoking movies with strong performances (Cruise gives, IMO, one of his best) this is yours. Recommended.
Pierre

I agree with you Pierre 100%. I still don't know how people find this film too confusing. I mean, it does have a rather unconventional plot and at times you're not sure what is really happenning, but everything is explained in full at the end with all questions answered. Donnie Darko, Mullholland Drive, even Memento I can see as confusing movies, but Vanilla Sky I just don't see it. I loved this movie (already own Open Your Eyes, great flick) and will definitely be picking this one up.

Ron, if you haven't seen the original Spanish film "Open Your Eyes" (Abre Los Ojos), definitely pick up the DVD from Artisan, IMHO a better film than Vanilla Sky. I appreciate that Crowe tried to put his personal touches in VC (choice of music, etc), but I don't think the subject material fits Crowe's style very well.

I live for Abre Los Ojos, a film I caught on cable one night only because Penelope Cruz was in it.
I came to watch Penelope. I stayed because the film was so goddammned amazing.
I haven't seen Vanilla Sky -- for no other reason that I just never got around to it. I will be buying the DVD based on my love of the original film and the strength of Cameron Crowe's skill as a writer/director. Plus the extras sound pretty nice, which is more than I can say about Artisan's DVD release of Abre Los Ojos.

Whenever the laws of any state are broken, a duly authorized organization swings into action. It may be the called the State Police, State Troopers, Militia, the Rangers, or the Highway Patrol THE CITIZENS AUXILIARY POLICE!!! These are the stories of the men whose training, skill, and courage,...

I saw Vanilla Sky in the theater, and then saw Abre Los Ojos at a coffe shop / art theater here in town. I found that it was pretty much the same film in both cases with (mostly) different actors. I did enjoy looking for differences in Penelope Cruz's performances between the two films.
Overall I think the story is quite good, it's a little different from the average movie fare. And I think Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were terrific in it. I'm a big fan of some of Cruise's latest work, I liked him a lot in Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia too.

I think that I will give this one a rental first....I've heard bad word of mouth for this film when it was first run, so I think that I will go the safe route to see if it is worth buying. Ron, as always- thanks for the review.

Currently watching- Planet Earth,True Blood: Season 2, Gatchaman: The Complete Series, The Equalizer: Season 3, Tales From The Crypt: Season 2, WKRP In Cincinnati: Season 1, Star Trek: Season 2, Band Of Brothers, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Game Of Thrones: Season 2

This film is excellent by all means, and I'll definitely be getting the DVD! I've been eagerly awaiting it. I also have the DVD of ABRE LOS OJOS from Artisan, and I must say that I pretty much love both films equally. I was expecting VANILLA SKY to be just another shitty remake, but it turned out superb.

Anyway, I found Vanilla Sky to be a decent remake though I took exception to the soundtrack - it seemed shoehorned into the movie and became distracting. I don't think I'll buy VS, but I'll definitely rent it for the extras.

I feel like my mind has been seriously f--ked with for the last 2 hours, and I still am dizzy from it all.

[quote]
Wow... that's the same way I felt after seeing VS last December. Funny thing is, that's why I loved the film!!

Sounds like a great disc, and it's a must-buy for me. Also, for fans of the film who haven't seen the original (like me), I pikced up the Artisan DVD of Abre Los Ojos at Target a few weeks ago for under $10. It's bare-bones but the transfer looks good.

Three truths about movies, as noted by Roger Ebert:

* It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.* No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.* No good movie is depressing, all bad movies are depressing.

I can't help but disagree with Ron's opinion that most on the HTF will dislike this film. There's already a strong Cameron Crowe following, although Vanilla Sky is most definitely a stretch in terms of subject matter and style for him.
After watching this movie for the first time in the theaters, I couldn't help but think that David Fincher would have have been the better choice to direct this movie. Although Crowe is probably better at creating those "2 strangers connecttion" between the principals (cruise and cruz), Fincher's experience in blending reality, virtuality, and visual perspective would have served this plot well.. However, I can certainly understand why he would not have wanted to take on remake and tackle another "plot twist" ending-type film like Vanilla Sky.
I found that I was rather annoyed with Crowe's use of the same guitar-based music for many of his transitional scenes. What worked well with his previous two films, "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous", was almost distracting for me as it really made me consciencious that that this was a film made by Cameron Crowe! I was pretty much fully immersed into the film, but the music has got to change. (The Beach Boys song near the finale was ingenious, though)
I enjoyed the DVD - the video quality was VERY GOOD, and almost perfect except for some softness here and there. Audio was limited mainly to the fronts, with the occasional use of the rears and SBs for the more musically climactic moments. I would have preferred the sound engineers to enhance the "atmospheric" subtle sound affects especially during the more "surreal" moments. All-in-all, this was more than an effective sound mix.
Also have to admit that I enjoyed this movie more the first time. I noticed more nuanced performanced the second time around in my HT. For those on the fence, rent this dvd first. For Cruise and Crowe fans, don't pass this one up.
Elbert